1982 Movie adaptation of Craig Thomas' 1977 novel, the first real technothriller, starring, directed by and produced by Clint Eastwood. The Soviet Union has developed a new superplane, the MiG 31, called by the Americans "Firefox". It's capable of Mach 6, can't be detected on radar and has weapons launched by thought (but in Russian of course).

There are some differences from the novel,note Most notably, no requirement to "think in Russian" to control the plane's weapons in the novel but Thomas fans like the adaptation and Thomas himself dedicated his sequel book Firefox Down to Eastwood.

Note that there is in fact, an actual MiG-31 (NATO reporting name Foxhound) and that it reached service in the same year as the movie reached theatres. It's far lamer than its movie counterpart: the only thing it can do well is go really fast.

In the novel, when a character points out the Belenko defection, and resultant false alarm, as a reason not to panic about the "Firefox", another tells him that their information is that the plane is seriously as good as feared.

Predates by two decades and has nothing at all to do with the web browser Mozilla Firefox.

This movie contains examples of:

Activation Sequence: We see the full start-up of the Firefox from cold and dark to flight-ready twice (Gant is still turning on systems on the plane as he takes off from Bilyarsk!)

Awakening the Sleeping Giant: Gant is infiltrating the Soviet Union as a common smuggler, in the hope that this will attract less attention from the KGB.

"If you tip-toe past the dragon, it might just raise an eyelid and sniff at you. But if you awaken it..."

Gant ambushes the real Firefox pilot, Col. Voskov, in the pilot's bathroom, and then spends as much time as he can hiding in there.

Earlier Gant suffers a PTSD attack and hides in a public toilet booth to recover. A KGB agent hears him moaning and hammers on the door, demanding his identification papers. The distraught Gant panics and kills him after the KGB man (falsely, as it turns out) claims his papers are not in order.

Chekhov's Gun: A literal example, the rearward-defense pods. Not flares but aerial mines, which he uses to great effect on the second Firefox, destroying it.

Chekhov's Gunman: Remember the test pilot he refused to kill while infiltrating the base? It comes back to bite Gant later towards the end when the pilot in question takes the second prototype on a spin.

Cool Plane: The titular aircraft is pretty much TheCool Plane of Hollywood, with speed, stealth, and maneuverability that leaves pretty much the entire NATO arsenal in the dust.

Darkest Hour: Gant manages against all odds to get Firefox to the refueling point on dry tanks, and sees only an empty ice floe. He figures he's going down in the Arctic Ocean for the last time, when suddenly he spots the refueling vessel: a submarine.

Dr. Baronovich "Mr. Gant, you are an American. You are a free man. I am not. There is a difference. If I am resentful of the men in Washington who are ordering my death, then it is a small thing when compared with my RESENTMENT of the KGB."

Idiot Ball: Gant's explicitly warned to watch his speed going through the Ural mountains to avoid tripping listening posts. What does he do? Opens the MiG-31 up to SR-71 speeds. Results in Crowning Momentof Awesome as everything turns into a blur, but immediately blows the "head-south-go-north" gambit up in his face.

It May Help You on Your Quest: Before he goes to Russia, Gant is handed an ordinary looking radio. He's then told it's a navigational device meant to guide Firefox to a secret refueling point — and that if he loses it in Russia, he's dead. It doesn't figure in the plot until he's well into his flight at which time he pulls it out and uses it as intended.

No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup: Gant manages to escape with the first prototype, but the second prototype is destroyed in the climactic final battle and all of the lead developers are killed helping Gant steal the original, wasting all of the USSR's efforts to build the aircraft in the first place.

Oh, Crap!: The look on Col. Kontarsky's face as the First Secretary's car pulls up, JUST as the Firefox begins taking-off.

Shell-Shocked Veteran: Gant, in spades. He's afflicted with PTSD throughout the movie, based on his experiences in Vietnam.

Shown Their Work: A lot of the Firefox flying scenes are laughable by today's computer-generated standards, but the dogfight was excellent. Specifically, Gant is forced to whipstall the Firefox to avoid a pair of missiles, triggering a PTSD episode. Voskov escorts him down, but does not deliver the fatal blow (see I Owe You My Life above). He recovers from the stall by deploying his landing gear, adding drag and slowing him down, and allowing him to pull up.

Skilled, but Na´ve: Gant's an ace Vietnam-era pilot but has no clue about playing spy games. As a result, he and The Mole leave a trail of bodies behind them.

Soviet Superscience: The titular aircraft itself is far, far beyond anything fielded by the west, which prompted the plan to steal it in the first place.

Translation Convention: The movie goes back and forth between this and Just a Stupid Accent. It is stated that Gant had a Russian mother and is fluent in the language. When he is speaking to Russians, we are meant to assume Translation Convention because he sounds just like Clint Eastwood speaking English. When the Russians speak back (or are speaking to each other), they have over the top hammy Russian accents. The only time this is justified in the film is when the Soviet premier contacts Gant when he is in the Firefox. As he knows Gant is American, he speaks to him in accented English. It would've made much more sense to leave out the hammy Russian accents in all of the other scenes.

Underestimating Badassery: For a while, Voskov dogfights Gant by refusing to give him a clear shot for his aerial mines, but then assumes Gant doesn't know to use them and switches to conventional dogfight tactics. At the end of the dogfight, Gant finally remembers how to fire an aerial mine and destroys the second prototype.

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